4As launched the Crowbar SHINE program at the Crowbar Awards 2012!

The Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Singapore (4As) held their annual Crowbar Awards on the 6th of August. The Crowbar Awards, now in its 12th year, has traditionally created a platform for graduates from Universities, Polytechnics and other tertiary institutions as far as New Zealand to verify their talents through having their projects judged by industry professionals.

This year’s Awards also saw the launch of The Crowbar SHINE program, a Talent Development extension of the Awards Festival, an industry-wide program that takes the best young graduates from art, media and design schools, and enroll them in post graduate training courses and job placement program. 4As have gathered support from advertising and media companies, design, marketing agencies and advertisers, who have pledged to take on these young professionals under their wings, and put them through rigorous training that the advertising and marketing communications (AdMarcom) industry requires. The program covers a spectrum of digital, marketing and strategic planning skillsets that will complement the tertiary training that the young graduates have gone through.

The CEO of 4As, Mr. Bernard Chan, said

“The industry has specific and urgent needs in the development of the post-graduate levels, particularly relating to developing the capability of the Young Professional in the areas of managing, marketing and monetising digital aspects of the AdMarcom business. This problem impacts not only Advertising Agencies, but also Media Owners and Advertisers as well.

The graduates from the pre-employment Education sector are well- endowed with technical and basic Creative skills. However, we, in the 4As see the need to create programs to address the ability to teach these young graduates how to manage the fast-changing digital technologies and develop out-of-the-box business related solutions and strategies related to Ad Marcom industry.

Singapore, with is compact market, and highly connected business environment is the perfect place to develop these initiatives”.

4As is a non-profit organisation that work towards the betterment of marketing, marketing communications and advertising of all member agencies in Singapore.